December 4, 2024 • 16 mins
Experience the best of downtown Myrtle Beach, from classic boardwalk treasures to a modern brewery with TV host and travel expert Darley Newman in her hometown. Discover the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove on an insider’s tour with Michelle Plyler, complete with Sasquatch sightings. This iconic Myrtle Beach boardwalk institution is beloved by locals and travelers for its quirky souvenirs and retro history. Head to Grand Strand Brewing Company to taste Beach Easy beer, the official beer of Myrtle Beach. Learn from Clayton Burrous how new businesses are shaping the future of downtown. Travel like a Myrtle Beach local in this “Home for the Holidays” podcast with expert travel tips.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Where can you find a life-size Elvis and Sasquatch,
(00:03):
Here is our life-size Bigfoot.
toast with a Myrtle Beach beer,
Well cheers!
Cheers!
Welcome back home! So fun. Yeah.
and take a ride in a beachfront SkyWheel?
It's all in downtown Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
A destination I frequented as a child year round.
That's right.
For many beach residents and visitors,
the downtown is even more fun in the wintertime,
(00:25):
when there are less crowds,
and you can get a feel for nostalgic Myrtle Beach.
We're going inside the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove
in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,
where Michelle Kercher Plyler is taking us
behind the scenes on this wacky,
wonderful, family-run gift store,
which serves as an anchor for Myrtle Beach's downtown.
Located on the beach boardwalk and promenade
(00:47):
just a block from the SkyWheel,
this oceanfront mecca for everything and anything
has fond memories for many beachgoers,
including locals who grew up in Myrtle Beach, like me.
You can't stay upset in a place that's filled with funny signs and, you know,
and things that remind you of your childhood.
After that, we'll toast with a Myrtle Beach beer
(01:08):
at Grand Strand Brewing Company with founder Clayton Burrous
and even say hello to The Salty Golfer.
So let's do some holiday shopping at one of the largest gift stores
I've ever gotten lost inside
and go local on Southern Beer in Myrtle Beach.
It's a Travels with Darley podcast,
where traveling with the locals is so much fun.
When I was a kid in the winter months,
(01:35):
Myrtle Beach got really quiet.
Not a lot was open on Christmas,
but there was one destination we hit year after year
in the lead up to the holiday season.
Myrtle Beach's Gay Dolphin Gift Shop.
My mother and grandmother corralled me
and my older brother and sister
to head downtown to play ski ball,
arcade games, and shop at the Gay Dolphin.
We used money we'd earned from chores to buy gifts for each other
(01:59):
inside the elaborately crammed, largest gift shop in South Carolina.
To say we spent time getting lost
amid the chaotic and colorful floors of jam-packed seashells,
nautical clocks, beach-themed pajamas,
press-penny souvenir machines, and more, is an understatement.
On my updated recent visit,
(02:19):
I got to do something I didn't get to do as a child,
go behind the scenes with Michelle Kercher Plyler,
who worked at the Gay Dolphin and married into the family, who still owns it.
This is the way it looked in 1962,
original furniture, not this, but this and this, this,
custom made.
We're in the apartment where Michelle's husband,
Buzz Plyler, grew up,
(02:40):
overlooking the ocean along the boardwalk.
This is a three-bedroom, two and a half-bath house,
on top of the Gay Dolphin, which no one knows exists.
We've stepped into a 1965 time capsule,
complete with beige carpet, brick walls,
woodbeam ceilings.
His mother was painting that painting when she passed away in 2009,
(03:00):
so we try to leave little bits of them around,
so we remember why we're all here.
But it is gorgeous.
I take my zoom calls up here because you get to see the ocean all of the time,
and it's a great spot to watch the boardwalk,
but they moved up here in 1962.
The store started in 1946,
(03:21):
so it kind of evolved as Myrtle Beach did.
There was nothing next door when it was built.
It was here all alone, and now everything's grown up, so.
Yes. This wacky boardwalk
beachside gift shop,
has been family-owned since the 1940s.
They were depression
people and Buzz's mother told me that she knew she wanted to marry
(03:41):
his father because on their first date,
they split a pack of nabs and a Coke,
and anyone that would spend that much money on her
was someone she wanted to spend time with.
So that is how she knew she wanted to marry Buzz's dad.
It's not just the Plyler family history remembered here.
Every school teacher worked here during the summer.
It was really the only year-round employment in Myrtle Beach for a long time.
(04:03):
The principle of the high school was the manager in the summer of the Gay Dolphin,
Mr. Neil, and so everyone that went to school and then worked here
had them as their boss in the summer
and their principal during the school year, so.
We step outside onto the large balcony
overlooking the boardwalk and ocean.
So this is one of the most unique views in Myrtle Beach.
(04:26):
You can see the hotels look like they go into the ocean,
so you can see how the beach curves there.
This is the 14th Avenue Pier that we're looking at here.
I worked there for four summers as a hostess at the restaurant.
Really? For the Devereuxs?
Yeah.
Yeah, that was Buzz's neighbor. Oh really, I know Bryan
I mean, like from a forever ago, but yeah.
(04:46):
Buzz himself comes up to check on us,
and I get to meet the legend, the man himself.
Buzz is in his khaki pants,
blue cotton polo shirt emblazoned with a white
Gay Dolphin logo that's not outshined by his stark grey beard.
So nice to hear the ocean. I know. Haven't heard the ocean in a while. Wow.
Before we explore the actual store,
(05:11):
we sit down on the busy plaid print,
sunfaded 1960s custom couch
beside the painting, still on an easel
that Buzz's mother was working on when she passed away.
Tell me a little rundown on what's here, 'cause it's a lot.
There is a lot, so there's five floors, but really three levels.
And within every floor that's accessible to the public,
(05:34):
to come and shop and look around, it's jam-packed.
It is jam-packed.
It is jam-packed.
We make a joke that they started building stairs and just kept going,
because there are stairs everywhere.
And if there is an open space on the floor or the wall,
we can find something to go there.
Thought lots of stairs,
there are elevators inside the Gay Dolphin,
(05:56):
so that visitors who are in a wheelchair can shop here and explore too.
It is kind of a different philosophy of a retail store.
A lot of retail stores don't want you to play with the merchandise,
they don't want you taking pictures,
and we are kind of the opposite of that.
We keep the toys where the kids can reach them.
We want everyone to have an experience that they remember.
(06:16):
And we're willing to suffer the cost of that,
because we think that it's important for kids to have
a very positive image of Myrtle Beach,
that they can look back to when they get older
and continue bringing their kids.
We want to be that family-friendly free attraction
that sometimes is needed.
Vacations are getting more and more expensive.
And the Gay Dolphin doesn't just create memories for tourists,
(06:39):
The Gay Dolphin is locally loved by all ages of locals,
including me with my childhood memories
of buying funny gifts for my family for Christmas here.
What does it mean to be in this location?
Because you're on Ocean Boulevard,
you're also now on this promenade boardwalk.
If you look at this particular block,
which is where Myrtle Beach started,
this is where everything was located on this block.
(07:01):
I mean, we've got The Bowery and Peaches Corner
and the Ocean Front Bar & Grill
and the Gay Dolphin that have been here for a significant length of time.
But there were also, this is where the guest houses
and the Seaside Hotel, the Pavilion,
it was all right here within this block.
And if you look at it, this is the highest area in Myrtle Beach
with the biggest stretch of ocean.
(07:21):
For the ocean to get to it,
it actually, I think in one map,
they had done it's not even a flood plain anymore
and we're on the ocean.
So, great drainage it's the highest elevation in the city.
And so, it made sense then.
And then it's become the historic heart of Myrtle Beach.
So, it means a lot and it takes anchors to keep it going.
(07:42):
What is the most interesting or interesting items
that you have that you would say right now?
So, our best seller always has been our name tag wall.
We sell about 40,000 of those name tags a year.
We have 3,000 different names.
(08:02):
And when our observation tower was open,
we, if you didn't have your name on the name tag wall,
you could climb the observation tower for free.
Mine's not going to be on there, I can tell you that.
We head downstairs to check out the name tag wall
and it's true, no Darley.
Michelle tells me that it's one part time employee's
(08:23):
full-time job to keep the name tag wall going.
We turn around to see sharks teeth jewelry,
which Michelle tells me was started at the Gay Dolphin.
We meander by a larger than life-size Elvis,
Sasquatch (so that's where he's been hiding),
and even a dinosaur.
Great photo opportunities for today's social crowd.
(08:43):
Every nook and cranny here is occupied with shells,
beach themed shirts, PJs, wine openers,
which has me wondering,
how do you do inventory?
So, once a year,
we have a month that we count everything in the store by hand
and they write it down on pieces of paper.
(09:06):
It takes about 2,500 sheets of paper every year.
There's 36 lines on each page,
so we're talking lots of items.
And what we do with those papers is
one person gets them and decodes them from our cost code,
so we can find out what the retail cost was.
(09:26):
If they can't find it from that,
another person then tries to look it up in the system.
If they can't find it from there,
they give it to me, and myself
or Buzz will go through and price what is left.
And then it all has to be entered in the computer.
And then I take all of those sheets and numbers
and add them up for our accountant.
(09:47):
And we compare each floor and area year over year,
so we know what we've got.
And it's a long process, so they're counting currently,
'cause we are in November right now.
I will finish inventory next July.
Wow, that is a lot.
It's a lot of work.
That's a process.
(10:08):
You guys should be in the Ripley's area for,
they should have reams of paper showing everything that you have.
Seriously.
Maybe not the most efficient Michelle admits,
but like all things at the Gay Dolphin,
it's part of a tradition that's stuck.
Love that it's still open and people are still making memories here.
We are trying to our best to be here for the foreseeable future,
(10:32):
thankfully, with the support that we have
from the locals and the visitors.
They all have positive memories
and that's not easy to do in this day and age.
We work very hard to remain positive
and be that positive part of a person's vacation.
And so we're very thankful and very blessed
that we are still here and we're bringing in new generations
(10:53):
to keep it going,
so we are here for the long haul.
You can't stay upset in a place that's filled with funny signs and, you know,
and things that remind you of childhood.
From the Gay Dolphin, I walk over to the Fun Plaza Arcade,
where we used to go back in the day to play skee-ball
(11:13):
and find my skills are still going strong. Forty, I got three forties.
A few blocks away and we're at Grand Strand Brewing Company,
whose taproom and brewing operation is located on King's Highway,
across from what used to be the Myrtle Beach Pavilion
and for your own insider's knowledge is also across from the church
where I attended preschool.
(11:34):
Guests were sitting outside in the sunshine when we arrived,
and I headed inside to Grand Strand Brewing Company,
which has a comfortable living room feel.
Grateful Dead memorabilia is mixed with a chalkboard where you can scan
delightfully creative beer names with local connections like Water Hazard,
Conway Coffee Ale, Lovely Bunch and Big Bertha.
(11:57):
I like to drink local on my travels,
and after I had a Smashburger, a double cheeseburger well charred with pickles,
special sauce and fries,
I sit down with Clayton Burrous on a plush couch to get the inside scoop
and of course try some beer.
Well cheers, nice to meet you.
Cheers.
Welcome back home. So fun.
I love it.
Yeah, awesome.
(12:17):
So you are drinking our most popular beer, our best selling beer.
It is a Hazy IPA called Airbrush.
And so you're familiar with the airbrush t-shirt shops all up and down the
boulevard kind of a part of the Myrtle Beach experience.
And so we played off that a little bit and it's done incredibly well.
(12:37):
Okay, so I'm looking across and I'm seeing Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, Bashful,
Sneezy, Dopey.
Love it.
Yeah, that was like a late night just kind of tired,
what are we gonna put on the tanks?
Cause everybody, you know, you like to label your tanks just for production purposes.
But we wanted to be a little more creative and
we were just counting them and the numbers worked out.
(13:00):
Settles the vibe down a little bit when you walk in and you see that they've named their tanks
after the seven dwarfs, that's probably a pretty relaxing space
and we get lots of people asking about it and taking pictures and all that stuff.
You know what I like? We're sitting in, we're kind of relaxing here on couches and it,
you have a living room/dining atmosphere, which is very comfortable.
(13:25):
Yeah, we want to make sure that we're a brewery first 'cause one thing we are not, and we
do have a really good food menu, it's ten items,
we make it easy because we know food's a key component but like we are not by trade restaurant people.
We grew up in the beer world and the brewing world.
(13:45):
And so that's always been our mission is that this would be a brewery first where the beer was good,
the vibe was right. You know, you got to get up to get your own water.
We don't have lettuce or tomato.
We don't have a house salad.
Like it's good
Lettuce and tomato are overrated.
Yeah, right. I mean like, but you know now what's happening around us in downtown Myrtle Beach is you have all
(14:09):
these other establishments that are kind of latching on and they have the complimentary concepts
'cause they're real restaurateurs and they've they, amazing Brazilian place next to us called
Boteco, right around the corner there's a new wine shop called The Tasting Room,
you've got the new bakery that opened up, so it's like we can be the brewery because now we have
(14:32):
all these complimentary things around us. So really the vision for downtown eventually one day is that
you don't really have to think about what you're going to do or you can be spontaneous about it.
Be like let's just go downtown and park and we'll get a beer at the brewery or run somewhere and get
dinner and fun, relaxed, informal with good beer.
Clayton's talk about relaxed and easygoing vibes is reminding me one of the reasons why I came to
(14:54):
Grand Strand Brewing Company. The beer that we made in a collaborative effort with
Visit Myrtle Beach called Beach Easy. So you can have a taste of Myrtle Beach at Grand Strand Brewing
with their Beach Easy Beer. We just wanted to be kind of the traditional American small local
craft brewery. Well cheers to that. Yeah, cheers. Thank you. And I'm drinking a beer called the Salty Golfer. So we have a local
(15:20):
influencer, his name is Wes Loman, and he goes by the Salty Golfer. He built this brand and we became
friends and he's like, I've got this artwork to make a beer and we made a beer and it was, it's also
done quite well. I love it. There he is back there. I get to meet the Salty Golfer who is quite tall
(15:40):
and who you can meet anytime because there's a large image of him on the wall inside Grand
Strand Brewing Company. If you truly want to meet locals though in general on your travels,
this is a great place to stop for a while and say your cheers.
From the nostalgic to the new, it's all on tap in Myrtle Beach. Stay tuned for my next podcasts on
(16:01):
Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand featuring more fun for the holidays, wintertime and year round
and get ready to travel to South Carolina. I'm Darley Newman and I appreciate you traveling with me.
Where can you find a life-size Elvis and Sasquatch,
(00:03):
Here is our life-size Bigfoot.
toast with a Myrtle Beach beer,
Well cheers!
Cheers!
Welcome back home! So fun. Yeah.
and take a ride in a beachfront SkyWheel?
It's all in downtown Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
A destination I frequented as a child year round.
That's right.
For many beach residents and visitors,
the downtown is even more fun in the wintertime,
(00:25):
when there are less crowds,
and you can get a feel for nostalgic Myrtle Beach.
We're going inside the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove
in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,
where Michelle Kercher Plyler is taking us
behind the scenes on this wacky,
wonderful, family-run gift store,
which serves as an anchor for Myrtle Beach's downtown.
Located on the beach boardwalk and promenade
(00:47):
just a block from the SkyWheel,
this oceanfront mecca for everything and anything
has fond memories for many beachgoers,
including locals who grew up in Myrtle Beach, like me.
You can't stay upset in a place that's filled with funny signs and, you know,
and things that remind you of your childhood.
After that, we'll toast with a Myrtle Beach beer
(01:08):
at Grand Strand Brewing Company with founder Clayton Burrous
and even say hello to The Salty Golfer.
So let's do some holiday shopping at one of the largest gift stores
I've ever gotten lost inside
and go local on Southern Beer in Myrtle Beach.
It's a Travels with Darley podcast,
where traveling with the locals is so much fun.
When I was a kid in the winter months,
(01:35):
Myrtle Beach got really quiet.
Not a lot was open on Christmas,
but there was one destination we hit year after year
in the lead up to the holiday season.
Myrtle Beach's Gay Dolphin Gift Shop.
My mother and grandmother corralled me
and my older brother and sister
to head downtown to play ski ball,
arcade games, and shop at the Gay Dolphin.
We used money we'd earned from chores to buy gifts for each other
(01:59):
inside the elaborately crammed, largest gift shop in South Carolina.
To say we spent time getting lost
amid the chaotic and colorful floors of jam-packed seashells,
nautical clocks, beach-themed pajamas,
press-penny souvenir machines, and more, is an understatement.
On my updated recent visit,
(02:19):
I got to do something I didn't get to do as a child,
go behind the scenes with Michelle Kercher Plyler,
who worked at the Gay Dolphin and married into the family, who still owns it.
This is the way it looked in 1962,
original furniture, not this, but this and this, this,
custom made.
We're in the apartment where Michelle's husband,
Buzz Plyler, grew up,
(02:40):
overlooking the ocean along the boardwalk.
This is a three-bedroom, two and a half-bath house,
on top of the Gay Dolphin, which no one knows exists.
We've stepped into a 1965 time capsule,
complete with beige carpet, brick walls,
woodbeam ceilings.
His mother was painting that painting when she passed away in 2009,
(03:00):
so we try to leave little bits of them around,
so we remember why we're all here.
But it is gorgeous.
I take my zoom calls up here because you get to see the ocean all of the time,
and it's a great spot to watch the boardwalk,
but they moved up here in 1962.
The store started in 1946,
(03:21):
so it kind of evolved as Myrtle Beach did.
There was nothing next door when it was built.
It was here all alone, and now everything's grown up, so.
Yes. This wacky boardwalk
beachside gift shop,
has been family-owned since the 1940s.
They were depression
people and Buzz's mother told me that she knew she wanted to marry
(03:41):
his father because on their first date,
they split a pack of nabs and a Coke,
and anyone that would spend that much money on her
was someone she wanted to spend time with.
So that is how she knew she wanted to marry Buzz's dad.
It's not just the Plyler family history remembered here.
Every school teacher worked here during the summer.
It was really the only year-round employment in Myrtle Beach for a long time.
(04:03):
The principle of the high school was the manager in the summer of the Gay Dolphin,
Mr. Neil, and so everyone that went to school and then worked here
had them as their boss in the summer
and their principal during the school year, so.
We step outside onto the large balcony
overlooking the boardwalk and ocean.
So this is one of the most unique views in Myrtle Beach.
(04:26):
You can see the hotels look like they go into the ocean,
so you can see how the beach curves there.
This is the 14th Avenue Pier that we're looking at here.
I worked there for four summers as a hostess at the restaurant.
Really? For the Devereuxs?
Yeah.
Yeah, that was Buzz's neighbor. Oh really, I know Bryan
I mean, like from a forever ago, but yeah.
(04:46):
Buzz himself comes up to check on us,
and I get to meet the legend, the man himself.
Buzz is in his khaki pants,
blue cotton polo shirt emblazoned with a white
Gay Dolphin logo that's not outshined by his stark grey beard.
So nice to hear the ocean. I know. Haven't heard the ocean in a while. Wow.
Before we explore the actual store,
(05:11):
we sit down on the busy plaid print,
sunfaded 1960s custom couch
beside the painting, still on an easel
that Buzz's mother was working on when she passed away.
Tell me a little rundown on what's here, 'cause it's a lot.
There is a lot, so there's five floors, but really three levels.
And within every floor that's accessible to the public,
(05:34):
to come and shop and look around, it's jam-packed.
It is jam-packed.
It is jam-packed.
We make a joke that they started building stairs and just kept going,
because there are stairs everywhere.
And if there is an open space on the floor or the wall,
we can find something to go there.
Thought lots of stairs,
there are elevators inside the Gay Dolphin,
(05:56):
so that visitors who are in a wheelchair can shop here and explore too.
It is kind of a different philosophy of a retail store.
A lot of retail stores don't want you to play with the merchandise,
they don't want you taking pictures,
and we are kind of the opposite of that.
We keep the toys where the kids can reach them.
We want everyone to have an experience that they remember.
(06:16):
And we're willing to suffer the cost of that,
because we think that it's important for kids to have
a very positive image of Myrtle Beach,
that they can look back to when they get older
and continue bringing their kids.
We want to be that family-friendly free attraction
that sometimes is needed.
Vacations are getting more and more expensive.
And the Gay Dolphin doesn't just create memories for tourists,
(06:39):
The Gay Dolphin is locally loved by all ages of locals,
including me with my childhood memories
of buying funny gifts for my family for Christmas here.
What does it mean to be in this location?
Because you're on Ocean Boulevard,
you're also now on this promenade boardwalk.
If you look at this particular block,
which is where Myrtle Beach started,
this is where everything was located on this block.
(07:01):
I mean, we've got The Bowery and Peaches Corner
and the Ocean Front Bar & Grill
and the Gay Dolphin that have been here for a significant length of time.
But there were also, this is where the guest houses
and the Seaside Hotel, the Pavilion,
it was all right here within this block.
And if you look at it, this is the highest area in Myrtle Beach
with the biggest stretch of ocean.
(07:21):
For the ocean to get to it,
it actually, I think in one map,
they had done it's not even a flood plain anymore
and we're on the ocean.
So, great drainage it's the highest elevation in the city.
And so, it made sense then.
And then it's become the historic heart of Myrtle Beach.
So, it means a lot and it takes anchors to keep it going.
(07:42):
What is the most interesting or interesting items
that you have that you would say right now?
So, our best seller always has been our name tag wall.
We sell about 40,000 of those name tags a year.
We have 3,000 different names.
(08:02):
And when our observation tower was open,
we, if you didn't have your name on the name tag wall,
you could climb the observation tower for free.
Mine's not going to be on there, I can tell you that.
We head downstairs to check out the name tag wall
and it's true, no Darley.
Michelle tells me that it's one part time employee's
(08:23):
full-time job to keep the name tag wall going.
We turn around to see sharks teeth jewelry,
which Michelle tells me was started at the Gay Dolphin.
We meander by a larger than life-size Elvis,
Sasquatch (so that's where he's been hiding),
and even a dinosaur.
Great photo opportunities for today's social crowd.
(08:43):
Every nook and cranny here is occupied with shells,
beach themed shirts, PJs, wine openers,
which has me wondering,
how do you do inventory?
So, once a year,
we have a month that we count everything in the store by hand
and they write it down on pieces of paper.
(09:06):
It takes about 2,500 sheets of paper every year.
There's 36 lines on each page,
so we're talking lots of items.
And what we do with those papers is
one person gets them and decodes them from our cost code,
so we can find out what the retail cost was.
(09:26):
If they can't find it from that,
another person then tries to look it up in the system.
If they can't find it from there,
they give it to me, and myself
or Buzz will go through and price what is left.
And then it all has to be entered in the computer.
And then I take all of those sheets and numbers
and add them up for our accountant.
(09:47):
And we compare each floor and area year over year,
so we know what we've got.
And it's a long process, so they're counting currently,
'cause we are in November right now.
I will finish inventory next July.
Wow, that is a lot.
It's a lot of work.
That's a process.
(10:08):
You guys should be in the Ripley's area for,
they should have reams of paper showing everything that you have.
Seriously.
Maybe not the most efficient Michelle admits,
but like all things at the Gay Dolphin,
it's part of a tradition that's stuck.
Love that it's still open and people are still making memories here.
We are trying to our best to be here for the foreseeable future,
(10:32):
thankfully, with the support that we have
from the locals and the visitors.
They all have positive memories
and that's not easy to do in this day and age.
We work very hard to remain positive
and be that positive part of a person's vacation.
And so we're very thankful and very blessed
that we are still here and we're bringing in new generations
(10:53):
to keep it going,
so we are here for the long haul.
You can't stay upset in a place that's filled with funny signs and, you know,
and things that remind you of childhood.
From the Gay Dolphin, I walk over to the Fun Plaza Arcade,
where we used to go back in the day to play skee-ball
(11:13):
and find my skills are still going strong. Forty, I got three forties.
A few blocks away and we're at Grand Strand Brewing Company,
whose taproom and brewing operation is located on King's Highway,
across from what used to be the Myrtle Beach Pavilion
and for your own insider's knowledge is also across from the church
where I attended preschool.
(11:34):
Guests were sitting outside in the sunshine when we arrived,
and I headed inside to Grand Strand Brewing Company,
which has a comfortable living room feel.
Grateful Dead memorabilia is mixed with a chalkboard where you can scan
delightfully creative beer names with local connections like Water Hazard,
Conway Coffee Ale, Lovely Bunch and Big Bertha.
(11:57):
I like to drink local on my travels,
and after I had a Smashburger, a double cheeseburger well charred with pickles,
special sauce and fries,
I sit down with Clayton Burrous on a plush couch to get the inside scoop
and of course try some beer.
Well cheers, nice to meet you.
Cheers.
Welcome back home. So fun.
I love it.
Yeah, awesome.
(12:17):
So you are drinking our most popular beer, our best selling beer.
It is a Hazy IPA called Airbrush.
And so you're familiar with the airbrush t-shirt shops all up and down the
boulevard kind of a part of the Myrtle Beach experience.
And so we played off that a little bit and it's done incredibly well.
(12:37):
Okay, so I'm looking across and I'm seeing Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, Bashful,
Sneezy, Dopey.
Love it.
Yeah, that was like a late night just kind of tired,
what are we gonna put on the tanks?
Cause everybody, you know, you like to label your tanks just for production purposes.
But we wanted to be a little more creative and
we were just counting them and the numbers worked out.
(13:00):
Settles the vibe down a little bit when you walk in and you see that they've named their tanks
after the seven dwarfs, that's probably a pretty relaxing space
and we get lots of people asking about it and taking pictures and all that stuff.
You know what I like? We're sitting in, we're kind of relaxing here on couches and it,
you have a living room/dining atmosphere, which is very comfortable.
(13:25):
Yeah, we want to make sure that we're a brewery first 'cause one thing we are not, and we
do have a really good food menu, it's ten items,
we make it easy because we know food's a key component but like we are not by trade restaurant people.
We grew up in the beer world and the brewing world.
(13:45):
And so that's always been our mission is that this would be a brewery first where the beer was good,
the vibe was right. You know, you got to get up to get your own water.
We don't have lettuce or tomato.
We don't have a house salad.
Like it's good
Lettuce and tomato are overrated.
Yeah, right. I mean like, but you know now what's happening around us in downtown Myrtle Beach is you have all
(14:09):
these other establishments that are kind of latching on and they have the complimentary concepts
'cause they're real restaurateurs and they've they, amazing Brazilian place next to us called
Boteco, right around the corner there's a new wine shop called The Tasting Room,
you've got the new bakery that opened up, so it's like we can be the brewery because now we have
(14:32):
all these complimentary things around us. So really the vision for downtown eventually one day is that
you don't really have to think about what you're going to do or you can be spontaneous about it.
Be like let's just go downtown and park and we'll get a beer at the brewery or run somewhere and get
dinner and fun, relaxed, informal with good beer.
Clayton's talk about relaxed and easygoing vibes is reminding me one of the reasons why I came to
(14:54):
Grand Strand Brewing Company. The beer that we made in a collaborative effort with
Visit Myrtle Beach called Beach Easy. So you can have a taste of Myrtle Beach at Grand Strand Brewing
with their Beach Easy Beer. We just wanted to be kind of the traditional American small local
craft brewery. Well cheers to that. Yeah, cheers. Thank you. And I'm drinking a beer called the Salty Golfer. So we have a local
(15:20):
influencer, his name is Wes Loman, and he goes by the Salty Golfer. He built this brand and we became
friends and he's like, I've got this artwork to make a beer and we made a beer and it was, it's also
done quite well. I love it. There he is back there. I get to meet the Salty Golfer who is quite tall
(15:40):
and who you can meet anytime because there's a large image of him on the wall inside Grand
Strand Brewing Company. If you truly want to meet locals though in general on your travels,
this is a great place to stop for a while and say your cheers.
From the nostalgic to the new, it's all on tap in Myrtle Beach. Stay tuned for my next podcasts on
(16:01):
Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand featuring more fun for the holidays, wintertime and year round
and get ready to travel to South Carolina. I'm Darley Newman and I appreciate you traveling with me.
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